There are no Certainties
by Sakura-chan88
Summary: Excerpt : Once upon a time, There were three princesses who would soon find their own frog, beast, and boy princes, The Tale of Three in One. Kag, San, and Kikyo find themselves engaged to the same man. What will happen?


**(Re-post Note: I apologize for any spacing errors in the paragraphs as my editing was rather rushed. I'm reposting this chapter after a suggestion to space out the paragraphs to help out the readers, so here you go.**

**Also, I forgot to mention that I give full credit for inpiration to _Jazz the Wolf Demon_ and her story_ Unexpected_.)**

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own _Inuyasha_, any fairy tales that are referenced, nor a single pack of Ramen... sadly... I really want Ramen right now... I'm so hungry... Of course, I wouldn't mind owning Inuyasha too, but I'd rather dream of things that are sensible... Like a pack of Ramen... or having a life... either would be really nice.  
_

_**A/N:** _Hey, I know... Another story- bad, bad me! Still, I couldn't help with this one- really, I couldn't. It's something (refreshingly) knew for me... I'm not sure **how** exactly, but I know it's new for me... Perhaps it's the fact that I actually have a pretty good clue of how I'm going to do this (nearly a full plot line in my head) and I'm actually trying to stay with it and not just... type whatever comes to mind... Of course, I will type whatever comes to mind, but I won't be doing gigantic plot twist at a spur-of-the-moment's inspiration. Little things, yes, but story altering, no.

And here are some answers to questions that I know will be asked:

**Will there be plot twists?**_Hell yes!  
_

**Will there be comedy?**_You better believe it!  
_

**Will there be angst?**_It's me, come on... seriously. Sakura-chan88 does not write non-angst stories (unless they're one-shots).  
_

**Will there be fluff, romance, and little bunny rabbits to 'aw' over? **_... I shiver at the thought, but what kind of Inuyasha story would it be without fluff, romance, and baby bunnies to boot- not literally, of course!  
_

**Will there be many chapters?**_I both hope and fear that the answer is a resounding 'yes!' I know it is going to be one of my longer stories- possibly in the 15-20 range.  
_

**Will there be frequent updates?**_Sorry to say, this is something I can not answer at the moment. You'll just have to wait and see.  
Wait and see...  
_

But, for now, I think we should get to the story, huh?

Enjoy!

Love,

Sakura-chan88

* * *

We were ordinary girls, living in an ordinary world, doing ordinary things, and dreaming ordinary dreams. 

However, our lives would soon become far from ordinary.

We lived in the modern day, born in the early 1990's, but experienced something one would believe was part of the past, a lost tradition through the years. If we were different people, we would have refused, but we respected our parents and still held to the thoughts of honor and loyalty...

In a way...

See, the three of us, Kagome Higurashi, Kikyo Mikoto, and Sango Tsurai, learned we were betrothed on our sixteenth birthdays... to one man.

The same man...

Why, you may ask. Actually, we encourage you to ask. It will make more sense to you if you ask:

Why?

This is our answer:

It was to pay a debt to the man's father. He took our parents into his home, fed them, clothed them, and, eventually, gave them a home of their own and employed them when no one else would. Our parents were smuggled into the great country of America when they were but young adults with no way to fend for themselves. They escaped the grasp of the men that brought them here, knowing what type of life they would live at the yakuza's hands, and he, Inutaisho Himitsu, took them under his wing. And, for his generosity- something they could never hope to repay- they pledged the hand of their first born daughter to his youngest son.  
Inuyasha...

We did not meet him, nor each other, until Inutaisho held an extravagant party to celebrate his son's eighteenth birthday. The moment we met each other, the three of us, we were friends- both for support in our time need and for the genuine feeling of, well, friendship. In that instant, we knew one thing-

No man would stand between us.

And, to many, it seemed that it would not be a problem. One of us was clearly ignored, one of us was clearly hated, and the other was clearly... well... perfect.

That, however, was the first impression everyone got.

No one ever saw it... No one expected it... No one, in the end, could deny it.

First impressions aren't everything, as you will soon see through our story.

Because, when it comes to love...

-0-00-000-00-0-

**There are no Certainties  
**

_At First Sight  
__  
_-0-00-000-00-0-

_"There's the tale of Cinderella,  
There's the story of Rapunzel,  
There's the lore of a headless horseman,  
Of a girl named Gretal and boy Hanzel,  
There is Sleeping Beauty and there is Belle,  
There is Prince Charming and the Frog,  
There are the knights of the round table  
In the books where they belong,  
They were all fairy tales and fantasies  
I once wished upon a star to be in,  
Yet, never in my wildest dream did I think  
That my own would soon be written,"  
-A Modern Snow White, Kagome Higurashi (June,30th, 2010)_

I was nervous, to say the least. I was furious, to say the most.

My parents, who I loved with all of my heart, told me each night- as a bedtime story- a beautifully romantic tale of two young lovers wishing to escape their parents' cruel rules, rules that kept them apart from each other. They escaped, were imprisoned, were saved and pledged their undying loyalty to their savior.

Each night, more was added.

They had a daughter. A beautiful little girl, a princess in their eyes. This little princess was to be married to the youngest son of their 'savior'. Yet, she did not know of this... Until her 16th birthday. Needless to say, 'princess' was not happy.

... Well, when my parents sat me down and told me that _I_ was the princess and that _I_ was betrothed, the first thought that came to me was simply this:

_''Princess' is not happy at all.'_

I remember my sweet 16 all too well. Where other girls were getting their first kiss, or a car, or a gigantic slumber party, I was getting a husband...

Or, rather, news that I already had one... in a way.

That information was as hard hitting as if I had been tossed by a rather strong catapult into a sturdy cement-walled castle... then slid down to land in a moat of despair filled with sinister dream-eating alligators.

There goes my planned pre-college trip around America; there goes my party years; there goes my dreams of romance and mystery...

_'There goes Hojo...'_

The fact that my 2-year-and-counting boyfriend at the time could no longer be had brought a rather drawn sigh from my lips- once upon a time, that is.

Yes, my sweet sixteen was not sweet at all.

It was bitter...

I never thought of going against my parents- I understood their situation, their feelings, their helplessness- and surrendered without a word. They had done everything for me... I would do anything for them. Plus, it was not a true forced marriage- if the man felt nothing for me and I nothing for him, the contract was null and void.

That gave me some comfort.

By my seventeenth birthday, my memory of the previous anniversary had become nearly bittersweet.

I was now a few months away from meeting a man I was engaged to and I was getting... excited. It may sound odd, but I had my reasons. Three, to be exact.

Reason One: I felt like I was in a romance novel. I felt like I was a princess, just as the one in my parents' stories, going to meet prince charming. The fairy tale dream a girl has when she is young- I was going to live it! The nervousness was exhilarating- the adrenaline was intoxicating.

What can I say, I'm a romantic.

Reason Two: I didn't know the outcome... and mystery always piqued my interest. Plus, I am a naturally curious person and, with the year that had passed and the month still to come before I met the man, my curiosity continued to grow, bit by bit.

Reason Three: There was going to be a ball! A ball- as in wealthy people getting together in a grand mansion/palace/castle (so fairy tale like!) to mingle, talk, and dance the night away in celebration... all for a special little someone. My possible future husband...

Inuyasha Himitsu...

I know a bit of the language of my ancestors... Inuyasha meant _Dog Demon_. Himitsu meant _Secret_...

Inuyasha Himitsu...

It was a peculiar name and often had me wondering, but it also had such a delicious ring to it each time it rolled off my tongue that the sound mattered more than the meaning.

Still, with all these reasons for my excitement, I felt myself scowling. I felt violated, I felt like a slave... I felt used beyond compare and I cursed the days of old and pathetic fairy tales. It was my life that was being taken- my future, my hopes, my dreams.

My excitement was as high as my depression was low on this night. The night that would forever change my life. The night that I stared at the building that would become my home, my prison.

The Himitsu Mansion.

The Mansion of Secrets.

Little did I know just how perfect a name it was for such a bright and lively building.

_"Cars, clothes, men, and money  
Make up this world of material things  
All of which I used freely  
To make a memorable past that stings  
At my core, my heart, my soul  
For I did not realize my error  
Until it was far too late  
And I lost to one much fairer  
Yet, in the end, I do not mourn,  
And there is a reason, too  
It's not cars, clothes, nor money,  
The reason is simply you,"  
-A Non-Material Girl, Kikyo Mikoto (June 30th,2010) _

I knew of Inutaisho since the age of 7- I followed the lives of multi-millionaires with hungry, coveting eyes- and the knowledge that I was engaged to his son, Inuyasha, had me overjoyed. It was clear that my parents expected nothing but happiness from me. My father had grinned in self-pride when announcing the betrothal on my sixteenth birthday, and my mother had hugged me loosely- she knew better than to wrinkle my favorite diamond-studded, ruby-red dress.

Yes, I was very pleased, and my eyes sparkled at the prospect of marrying the son of the great Inutaisho. However, the fact that I would not meet my wealthy spouse-to-be for another two years had me very upset.

For those two years, I could do nothing but dream of the rich life awaiting me. The cars, the clothes, the people that would surround me... I drooled over the thoughts.

Just as I did this night, looking at the Himitsu mansion with star-filled eyes. Only one thing could get this reaction out of me. One thing, and one thing only...

Money... and money made the world go 'round.

At least, it made mine.

Little did I know that my mind would slowly be changed.

Little did I know that spoiled little me would soon find that money was not everything.

Little did I know that the one thing I lacked would be found here, and that a price could never be put on it.

_"Fairy tales and romance  
Used to be fool's gold to me  
Something far fetched  
And not for reality  
Fairy tales and romance  
Were not on my mind  
Nor was the gold  
That I'd soon find  
Yes, Fairy tales and romance  
I laugh as I now say  
'Fairy tales and romance  
Sum up my life this day',"  
-Dreamer of Reality, Sango Tsurai (June 30th, 2010_)

I didn't know what to say, what to think, or what to even feel.

I was numb- numb beyond comparison- and all I could do on my sixteenth birthday as my parents told me their 'wonderful news' was laugh.

Laugh in disbelief, laugh at the absurdity of the situation...

Laugh to hold back tears of anger and disappointment in my parents. Never did I think that they would do something so... horrid to their own daughter.

I did not want to be some rich snob's trophy wife, and I doubted any man would want me as their trophy wife- me, the outspoken, bad-assed, loner of a tomboy. I told them I would not marry a man I did not love- there was no way in hell I would give myself to someone I felt nothing for.

My mother, at that moment, smiled at me (something she rarely did as I barely saw her) with a warmth that kept me where I was, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Sango, dear, give the man a chance. You never know what can happen, or what you may feel for someone. If this man feels nothing for you and you nothing for him, there is no reason for you to worry. We pledged your hand, yes, but agreed that if there is no love, then it is not to be. Inutaisho will not force such a thing- not on us, not on you, not on his son."

My mom understood my fears well and she cried for me. Her tears caused me to fold in and accept my life, my fate. Yet, I could not feel anything but fury.

Today, as I stood in front of the Himitsu mansion, waiting to enter the building and meet the man I was engaged to, I sighed. I hated my life at that moment, for two very simple reasons.

Reason one: I was a girl of dreams and those dreams had been dashed, taken from me three years ago. I was a girl who prided herself in being as spirited as I was- a girl that said and did what she wanted, when she wanted, how she wanted- and being forced to be something else went completely against my nature. I did not do well with conformity.

Reason two: I was going to a ball. I, unlike many of the female gender my age, was anti-social. I liked being alone, usually sitting in my room (or in another comfort area of my own) and writing, drawing, or strumming my guitar to sooth my own tortured soul... People labeled me as a 'goth' because of my dark clothes, dark aura, and dark (as they considered it) work. I agree most of my writing was of depression, most of my drawings were morbid, and most of my music was haunting, but I still felt angered by the label. I hated being put into a group. I had, as I said before, pride in being myself- being an individual.

Yet, here I was, in a black, sequented dress, standing in front of the Himitsu mansion, waiting to join the gaggle of rich, smiling business men and women.

I wished for the night to end as quick as possible, for Inuyasha Himitsu to find no interest in me, and for my life to return to normal with its dreams I once had.

I never imagined that, out of all the wishes I made, the one I wanted the most, the one that did not come true, would be the one I regretted making.

_"Once upon a time,  
There were three princesses  
Who would soon find their own  
Frog, beast, and boy princes,"  
-The Tale of Three in One_

**June 30th, 2008**

"Mr. and Mrs. Yuri Higurashi," a short, balding man announced to the already gathering crowed. The named couple bowed and slowly descended the marble stairs to the ball room floor. He turned to the next in line, smiled, and called out, "Kagome Higurashi."

Said girl smiled back, bowed, and followed after her parents. She tried her best to squash the nausea caused by the nervousness racing through her. Tonight was the night she was to meet Inutaisho and his son, Inuyasha. She didn't like the idea of being engaged to a man she knew nothing of, yet her heart beat with excitement.

Needless to say, the intense feeling of being entirely out of place among the throng of conversing business tycoons did nothing to help the mounting self-consciousness she had.

Fidgeting with her knee length, tight-fitting, cream-colored dress, Kagome gave a small sigh and glanced about the large ball room for an area that would conceal her presence without giving the impression that she was actually attempting to hide. After all, she was only here to meet Inuyasha and had been given instructions to wait to be beckoned by Inutaisho. There was no need for her to mingle with those she knew very little about, if she knew anything of them at all. She vaguely recognized a few of her parent's coworkers, but found no reason to approach them.

_'Perfect,'_ she thought, blue-grey eyes falling on a group of chairs huddled around an unoccupied table in a far corner of the room, away from the crowd.

Making herself comfortable, she continued to watch the swarm of unfamiliar faces moving about.

"Mr. and Mrs. Niju Tsurai," the elderly man called once more, drawing Kagome's attention.  
She watched as the couple bowed to the audiance and glided down to the gathering, a teenage girl following.

"Sango Tsurai."

The girl dressed in a shimmering black dress - a rather out-of-place color - with elbow-length gloves, her hair held in a sweeping tail. Her eyes shifted about the room, an uneasy smile on her lips.

Kagome sympathized with the girl, giving her a welcoming smile when Sango's eyes met hers. She could see the girl relax with a sigh of relief before she whispered to her mother - moving away from her family to join Kagome.

"Hey," she breathed, stretching out her hand. "Name's Sango."

"I'm Kagome," she replied, shaking the proffered hand lightly. "You look nervous."

"I'm not one for socializing.

"I am, but I don't do well with big crowds of people with big money..."

Sango snorted, a corner her lips lifting ever so slightly. "Big money, big dress, big hair, and big egos... Can't stand the rich."

Kagome giggled and sat down in her chair, motioning for the girl to take a seat as well.

"Neither can I, but their life seems so... exciting."

A brow lifted at the statement. "Exciting?"

"Well, yeah," Kagome mumbled, frowning. "I mean, when I think of rich, famous people and everything... It's like... I don't know - I guess I wonder how they got to where they are."

"Like, if there was some sort of scandal envolved?" Sango asked as she leaned forward, her eyes narrowing in speculation.

She shrugged. "Something like that."

"That's an entertaining thought," Sango chuckled, eyes surveying the crowd. "I can see a few possible cases... I think I just found our winner," she said breathlessly, jaw dropping an inch.

Kagome followed her gaze to find herself watching the couple entering the building.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hiten Mikoto," the announcer called.

The fact that the woman openly displayed a seductive nature even as she linked arms with her husband and the husband openly eyed the women of the room startled Kagome. How could a couple be so... indifferent about their partner's apparent desire for another?

Yet, the shock doubled as their daughter entered, her head held high as she scanned the room with chocolate eyes that widened at the sight of Kagome.

It was as if her mirror image had been brought to life - and a more perfect image, at that.

"Kikyo Mikoto."

The crimson dress seemed to embrace her as a lover would their partner, sighing softly with each movement - each sigh a whisper of awe. Black hair tumbled down her shoulders to clash with the blood-red silk.

Her body screamed seductress - just like her mother.

Her eyes were near unreadable, a mere glint displaying her emotions. Her smile was both alluring and sharp - seemingly strained... or, possibly, restrained. Her chin had a constant tilt of superiority to show she bowed to no one.

Her expression cried preditor - just like her father.

A mixture of beauty and danger.

She gracefully descended the steps, directing herself to the gawking duo sitting at the corner table. Her movements were fluid as water, slipping through the crowd with ease. Dark brown eyes did not stray from Kagome's blue-gray orbs until Kikyo stood before her, quietly assessing the girl.

Kagome, unsure of the woman before her, waited, her breath held.

Sango frowned, watching them study each other - her body shifting in her seat uncomfortably.

Did they know each other...?

They looked... like sisters...

"May I ask for your name?" Kikyo questioned.

A small smile blossomed on Kagome's lips as she nodded and stood, offering a welcoming hand. "Kagome Higurashi."

The woman's body visibly relaxed, eyes glittering softly as she grasped Kagome's hand. "Ah, that explains it."

"Eh?"

Kikyo hummed in amusement. "Kaede Higurashi is your grandmother, isn't she?"

Kagome blinked, taken aback by her words. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"She's mine as well. Mother's side," she added.

_'Ah, so they're cousins,'_ Sango thought, raising to her feet. With a smile, she extended her hand as well. "I'm Sango Tsurai."

Kikyo smiled gently. "It's nice to meet you Sango."

"Would you like to sit with us?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Why sit out here when there are so many people to talk to?"  
Sango shrugged. "I'm not exactly the most comfortable person when it comes to social occassions."

"I see," Kikyo said as she took a seat beside Sango. "I'll join you for a moment. I have time to burn and elders tend to bore me."

"Elders are boring - nothing but eat, sleep, complain about 'kids these days', and such," Sango grumbled.

"I don't know about that," Kagome laughed, clapping her hands together in glee, her reason for being at the party completely forgotten as she began recalling her insane grandfather back in Japan and his obsession with demons.

"What do you think, Sango?"

"What - about demons?"

Kagome nodded. "Do you think they exist?"

Her lips pursed in contemplation. "I think it's possible... but unlikely."

"I believe they exist," Kagome stated, a smile lighting her face.

"Oh?" Sango's brow lifted as she pressed back into her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why's that?"

"It's just that the idea really doesn't sound that farfetched to me."

"Every legend or myth is said to have some truth to it," Kikyo commented.

Kagome smirked slightly. "Okay, Kikyo, what do you think?"

"I think it's more likely that there are demons than that ghosts really exist," she answered hesitantly. "I can accept the idea of an unnatural being who is flesh and bones and blood... but not one that is supposedly a transparent spirit of a passed being who walks around in the living realm."

Sango blinked. That was an unexpected answer.

"I see your point," Kagome admitted. "Yet, I believe ghosts exist as well."

"Have you ever encountered one?"

"No."

"Then how can you be so sure?"

"I'm not sure," Kagome explained, brows scrunching together. "I just... I believe in the supernatural, is all."

Kikyo grinned. "You're a dreamer, aren't you?"

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing. I'm more of a... what do you call it? A realist - one for facts, material truths."

"Material truths?" Sango quiered.

Kikyo shrugged. "Things with a tangible form - like money."

Kagome blinked, clearly startled by the words. She didn't know what to think - how a conversation of ghosts and ghouls led to money, she would never know.

"Anyway," she began, standing with a smile, "I think it's time I go mingle with the crowd. It was nice meeting you both."

Sango grinned, "nice meeting you, too. If you get bored, you know where to find us."

"Thanks." She nodded and turning to leave. A few steps away, she paused briefly, glancing about the ball room. "Hey, Sango?" she called, swiveling on her heel to face the girl. "If you don't like to socialize... Why did you come to the ball? You didn't come just to an appearance, did you?"

Sango's eyes widened, color draining from her face. She'd completely forgotten. "Ah-I-"

"Sango Tsurai."

The voice rolled over the crowd, silencing even the smallest of whispers.

Every eye turned to the stairs, watching the man who entered the room with awe. He was a man of surprising heigth, dressed in a black business suit. His long silver tresses falling to the back of his knees in a low sweeping tail. Golden orbs peered out of a face of masculine beauty - high cheek bones, line red lips, strong jawline - searching for the one he summoned.

Eyes landing on the trio, he smiled with amusement. So, they had met.

"Kagome Higurashi."

He watched as they both turned startled gazes to each other, not noticing the woman openly casting them a torn, confused look.

"Kikyo Mikoto."

At the collective gasp, his smile widened. Yes, they had met... and it would seem that they, like all other strangers just meeting, had filled there time together with small talk about the unimportant and, thus, missed the one thing that could make or break a true friendship.

_'Pity...'  
_

"Come, follow me. Your parents as well."

Kagome was the first to stand, her thoughts a jumble as she studied the girls once again.

"You're here to meet Inuyasha, as well?"

"I'm betrothed to him," Kikyo replied almost airily.

"As am I," Sango hissed in displeasure at the fact, not the woman, as she stood. "I don't get it."

Kagome bit her lip in worry. If they were all engaged to the same man... "Hey...?"

"Yeah?"

"How is this supposed to work?"

"I assume Inutaisho will explain when we get there," Kikyo murmured as she ascended the stairs with her parents at her side.

The others followed as the hall, once more, came alive with small talk and pety exchanges - the words meaningless in the ever changing scheme of life.  
Inutaisho sighed. How shallow had society become?

Hopefully, he would see some promise of a better world - one filled with meaning, deep and touching - through one of this girls...

Hopefully, one of these three girls would be the end of the dull sheen covering the Himitsu line...

Hopefully, his son would search for character and not curves.

He glanced back at the prospective wives.

The first was a material woman - one for money and clothes. A perfect trophy wife. Proud, confident, and poise. Calm. Relaxed... Hungry for power.

Would his son choose this one for her beauty?

The second was a woman of conviction- down-to-earth and set firm in her beliefs. A realist who pushed emotions to the back and let reason be a guide. Spirited yet tamed by standards set by her own person, unwilling to bend her views of self. Unmoveable, and proud of her individuality.

Would his son choose this one for her personal strength?

The third and final woman was one of heart- pure and simple, untainted. A person who dreamed of a better world, one of harmony for all those that lived. A person who was fueled by emotion, not by reason. Someone who was flexible in hers ways, willing to learn, but stubborn enough to stand her ground in an arguement that struck any personal nerve. A spirited dreamer with a mind, and a heart of gold.

Would his son choose this one for her pure and passionate heart?

Inutaisho frowned thoughtfully. If he knew his son, the choice would be the least promising...

Still, he had faith that, in the end, a change would wash over the silent home he lived in - and with its change, the change of the world- the change of a shallow society- would come to be.

Yes, a simple marriage would change the world...

If, and only if, the right girl stood beside Inuyasha at the altar.

"Ow! Watch where you're going!"

"I wouldn't have run into you if you weren't in my way, wench!"

"Excuse me for walking down the same hall as you, Mr. High and Mighty!"

Inutaisho sighed, turning to watch the exchange.

Kagome stood at her full heigth in a stance fit for battle, her eyes aflame with indignation. An angry red covered her cheeks, her nostrils flaring out in rage.

The man she fought towered over her, lips curled back in a sneer, "Don't you know who I am?"

"I could care less if you were the President at this point, you rude, arrogant, jerk!"

Amber eyes brilliantly lit in fury. "Listen here, bitch-"

The word ended in a sudden, resounding smack.

"Don't you ever, _ever_, call me that again," she hissed, her body trembling slightly. "I don't care who you are, mister. _No one _calls me that."

The man openly started in surprise, his hand lightly pressed to the struck cheek.

In the silence, Sango took her chance to speak, clearing her throat. "Kagome, come on. We're supposed to be following Inutaisho, not fighting... I don't think he'd appreciate a commotion like this."

"Appreciate it, no. Find it humorous, no," Inutaisho commented, stepping foreward. "Be entertained by it..." He grinned. "Very much so."

Kagome looked away in shame, her head bowed. "I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to apologize. My son can be very irksome."

Her eyes snapped to his, then to the man she had slapped. A smirk was slowly tugging at his lips and she felt her stomach plummet. "Inu... yasha?"

"That's right," he sneered, arms folding across his chest. "And you'd do well to remember that, _bitch_."

He was baiting her, daring her to hit him again.

Her lips pursed, eyes narrowing in a glare. "Oh, I'll remember that, Inuyasha... And the name's Kagome - I suggest you keep it in mind if you don't wish to lose your tongue."

"Are you threatening me?" He was humored, that much was certain.

"I don't threaten anyone... I warn them. Consider this your warning."

"You have guts," he muttered, brushing passed her in an airy dismissal.

Inutaisho sighed inwardly, once again, as he watched the woman's eyes follow his son's retreating back with a look of complete distate. _'And we're off to a terrible start,'_ Inutaisho thought disappointedly.

Inuyasha paused in his departure, eye landing on Kikyo who stood before him, flashing a dazzling smile.

A small grin, a knowing glance...

Again, Inutaisho sighed. _'A very bad start, indeed.' _Why could things never go right- never go as planned? Why couldn't life be simple?

_'Just once... that's all I ask for... Just once, let things turn out for the better.'  
_

"Come," he said to the families who silently watched the exchange. "We have much to discuss."

-0-00-000-00-0-

**_A/N:_ **Just to clear something up right now- I like Kikyo and I always have. She is one of my favorite characters, but for this story, she will be a bit shallow in the beginning. She will **not** remain this way, if her short poem was not enough to dispel those thoughts.

How the arrangement with the three will work shall be explained in the next chapter. Sorry, I had to stop here and upload the story because, well, I want an opinion and couldn't really type anymore at the moment. I do not force my writing - it always seems to work better when it just... flows... and isn't forced, you know?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! And I hope to have the next chapter up for you within the next two months. Yes, I know, it's a wait, but it can't be helped. I have a lot of stories to work on at the moment and I have school... and a full time job babysitting my siblings...

Grr... There is no free time in sight for me...

Please, review for my sake... and my sanity.

Love,  
Sakura-chan88

_P.S. If there is anything specific that you want to see in this story, please tell me. However, lemons are NOT an option. I do not write them- never have, and I don't intend to start now. The closest I hope to EVER come to a lemon is what I have written in Whispers of a Screaming Soul (which, hopefully, will be updated shortly.)_


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